Thursday, March 28, 2024
Home SPORTS Athletics Olympian laments poor stadium facilities in Abia

Olympian laments poor stadium facilities in Abia

-


By Uzor Odigbo

An Olympian and foremost Nigerian sprinter, Uche Isaac, has expressed worry over the dearth of stadium facilities in his home state,  Abia.
The German-based former sprinter who majored in 100m and 200m in his active days stated this in a chat on telephone with TheNiche Newspaper .
Issac said that it was frustrating the state which used to produce
athletic talents in the past cannot boast of a well equipped Olympic stadium with adequate athletics facilities fit for young talents to train and develop.As a board member of Abia State Athletics Association, Isaac intends to contribute his own quota to the development of sports in Abia state and has been severally rebuffed by those who should have encouraged him.”I had plans to organize competitions for athletes and also attract sponsors to the state from my base here in Germany but my colleagues in Abia AAA are frustrating the plans through unnecessary protocols.I hail from Abia state and it would be my pleasure to help the younger ones develop their talents the way I was assisted but things seem not to go the way I expected it. A situation where you asked for names of indigent athletes that require help to train and attend competitions, people would be telling you to bring the money first. This attitude cannot attract sports development in Abia state.It’s disheartening that Abia State has no standard stadium for all kinds of sporting events except football, while talented athletes from the state travel to other states for training” Isaac who represented Nigeria at Sydney 2000 Olympics stated that despite the frustrations, he had plans to organize competitions such that Abia state will be able to produce athletes that would represent the country in Paris 2024 Olympics.He also regretted Nigeria’s disappointing performance at the recently concluded IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha where the country won a bronze medal in long jump.The Olympian however blamed the situation on poor preparation and urged relevent authorities to brace up for next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Must Read

INEC rejects LP’s national convention

0
The LP National Legal Adviser, Kehinde Edun, told reporters that the party informed INEC about the change of venue and date for...